Pretty Girls in the Vip (9781617730283) (24 page)

J
ust when it seemed like all hope was lost, Ian performed his own miracle. He knew one of Nerv Trap's producers. He'd worked with them before, and they were able to talk to Nerv Trap and his manager about everything.

“Okay, they are not going to sue the club.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I called his manager, and well, we talked. I told him he didn't want the bad press from us countersuing his client. So, here.” He handed me five bundles of money.

“How much is this, Ian?”

“Fifty thousand dollars. For their alcohol and some of the damages.”

“Thank you. Wow. I can't believe you were able to pull this off.”

“I bluffed, Adrienne. I told them, look, we know Nerv Trap hit that guy over the head, and if you don't fix the damages in the club I will send the tape to his probation officer in Baltimore and to all of the media.”

“Thank you, Ian, you don't know how worried I was about all of this.” I felt a little relieved. It had just been one thing after another. First Joi quit. I should have fired her a long time ago. She didn't even call, she just stopped showing up and then Shanice quit, too! But she was modeling or something. So now all I have is a new girl I hired, Ebony, and Darcel, and it's been so slow that's all the help I really need.

“Adrienne, you are going to have to revamp the place some.” Ian was addressing the obvious. I was going over my invoices and looking at my receipts, attempting to figure out why sales were down and business was dwindling. Most nightclubs eventually fall off a little after a year, but I didn't think it would happen to us just four months after opening.

“What can I do?”

“You can have after-work parties and maybe a reggae night or old school night. You can have all new clientele while you build your old ones back up.”

“I don't know, Ian, that's really not what I want. That's what every club does, and I wanted Belize to be special.”

I didn't want to let the after-work crowd in, but Ian was telling me that they had money and bought drinks, too, but people living from paycheck to paycheck was not exactly the crowd I was shooting for—but I had to do something.

I
never thought I would be famous. I think when I was little, I dreamed of being a movie star. I'm not in any movies, but just from being in music videos, people are beginning to recognize me. I think it is because most people watch the videos they like a lot of times. Then while watching, they keep seeing your face, and then they begin to believe you are bigger than life.

April sent me on three auditions, and I booked two out of the three. The one I didn't get, they said they weren't going for my type. I didn't know exactly what that meant. One of my videos was for this female rap group, Eqaiye, and their video, “Give Me Love,” has been playing on MTV and BET. For that video I did a little acting, I was acting like I was mad at my boyfriend and then meeting a new guy who I was in love with.

Then last week, this club paid for me to fly out to Houston to host a party. I made twenty-five hundred dollars in two hours. Getting paid to just show up at parties? I didn't think it could get any better than Belize, but it has. And now, instead of being one of the girls included in the ladies of
Chrome and Platinum
magazine, I'm on the cover and they are throwing me a cover party next month. Courtney made it into the magazine, too, but only in the group shots. She was happy about it, though, and thanked me and said she was going to buy a hundred copies.

I'm just thanking God daily for moving my life in another direction. I don't know what Jabril's girlfriend's life is like or how she is living, but he is making my life a dream. He started giving me money every week just because. So much so that I left Belize. It was slow there anyway. Then he also made good on his promise of getting me a place.

I met him one afternoon downtown, and he was like, go somewhere with me. So I go and then he hands me keys and tells me to open the door. I thought it was a new house for him and maybe his friends, but he said it was mine. He put it in my name, and the rent was paid up for the year. The loft was in this really nice neighborhood not far from the art museum and already furnished when I moved in. All the appliances were new, and there was a room for Raven. That made me the happiest—he didn't even know her and he was kind enough to think about her.

Jabril is the best I ever had. I knew he had a chick and she was pregnant, but he was so good to me that I really didn't care. Not in a mean way, I just could care less about her. I know my position, and I'm happy to be in it. Plus, we hang out at all the clubs together and now he is staying with me a couple nights out of the week.

 

I was going to get Raven today and keep her for the weekend. I wanted to buy her a dog and finally introduce her to Jabril. Valerie couldn't believe I had my own place and she asked me to bring her a copy of my lease. When I came, she really read it and looked at the signatures to make sure it was for real.

“How can you afford something so nice?”

“My modeling, Valerie.”

“Back in my day, models used to have to be skinny and in shape.”

“Well, nowadays it is a different type of modeling. So, I'll bring Raven back on Sunday.” I was tired of her questioning me and I was ready to get out of there.

“Okay, well make sure she eats and brushes her teeth.”

“I will.”

Once Raven was in the car, I started telling her about what we were about to do. “Remember when Shani said she was going to buy you a dog? Well, we are going to get one today.”

“We are getting the puppy! Oh yes,” she chimed excitedly.

“Shani is going to let you pick out any puppy you want, okay?”

“Yay, I'm getting a puppy!” she shouted and started going on and on about what she was going to name her dog.

 

In the pet store Raven ran all around so excited. It was the biggest decision of her five-year-old life—to pick which puppy she wanted. She settled on a cute little brown and black Maltese. She picked him up and wouldn't let him go.

 

Aunt Rhonda called me and asked me to stop by. I hadn't really seen her or Ayana since I moved. Aunt Rhonda was watching the news, and Ayana was playing with her toys.

“Hey, Aunt Rhonda, what's up?”

“Can you let Courtney come and stay with you and help her get in a video? I need her to do something like you, Shani, because right now she isn't doing anything but fighting with Antwan and his wife. They came here the other day. Both of them banging on the door. Then when she finally came to the door with a knife, they called the cops and she was about to get arrested.”

“She didn't even call and tell me. All right, she can come with me for a couple of days. But she can't move in. I'll help her get herself together, though.”

“I appreciate it. I know with Courtney being around you, good things will rub off on her, too. You are just like your mom, Shanice. When you were young, she kept you so cute, and she would always make sure Courtney had the same things, too. You are more like her than you realize. She just fell for the wrong man. Everything she did wasn't bad, and I know she would be proud of you.”

“I know she would be. Thanks, Aunt Rhonda.”

 

I was going to let Courtney come and visit with me, but I would let her know that when Jabril came over she had to be gone. I didn't plan to tell her about my conversation with her mother. I just came over a few days later to get her.

“Oh my God, you have another new car. What kind of car is this?”

“It is a Bentley, and no, this is his car, but wait until I show you the apartment I'm staying at, girl.”

We pulled into my designated space and took the elevator up to my loft. A swarm of bees could have flown into Courtney's mouth. She couldn't believe I lived in a place like this. She ran around the apartment admiring my bedroom set, my clothes, and the kitchen. “This is banging, Shani. Jabril is nice as hell, you better be good to him.”

“Yeah, he is nice, but he has it like that. Plus, he has a pregnant girlfriend. So he better have his shit straight.”

“I wouldn't give two fucks. I would call that bitch up and be like, yo, we sharing your man, do you need me to help you with your baby when it's born?”

“You're crazy Courtney. So, we are going to meet up with Jabril tonight in Atlantic City at this club, HQ Nightclub, inside Revel. Him and a bunch of his friends are going to be there.”

“Wow, I didn't think we were going out so I didn't bring anything to wear.”

“You can just wear something of mine. It is going to be a little looser on you, but it will still be cute and we wear the same shoe size.”

I let Courtney play dress-up in my closet. She picked out my favorite black bandage dress and a pair of my Alexander McQueen sandals. I hadn't worn either yet, but it look so nice on her I let her rock it. Once we were at the party I didn't see Jabril, but Courtney had a few eyes on her, looking in her direction. I wanted her to meet someone with some real money, too.

We sat in VIP and began ordering shots and dancing with one another. The club was crowded, and I was just enjoying being out with my cousin. An hour into our partying, Jabril came over and showed us love by sending two bottles over to the table. Courtney tried to open the bottles herself, but I told her she had to wait for the bottle girl to do that and pour it for us. She did, and then we had glass after glass. We were having a good time until I spotted Jabril's boy Lloyd. Damn, I didn't know how to react. He came over to me and spoke. I said hey and then he kept trying to dance with me. He asked what was up and told me what hotel room he was staying in. I didn't know how to say I was no longer interested, but luckily, Jabril came over and rescued me. He gave Lloyd a shake and then said, “So, what you saying to my girl?”

“I asked her what was up for the night.”

“She is busy tonight with me now. Only me.” Lloyd looked over at me and said all right, and then he found another chick to dance on.

Everything was going right, people were taking pictures, we were laughing and having a fabulous time. Courtney was drinking a whole lot, but she was still looking cute. One of Jabril's friends introduced himself to her. He came over to her and extended his hand and said, “I'm Aleeq.” Then he asked her to dance. I knew she had a winner. He played for the Sixers. Courtney got up to dance with him, almost falling, and looked him over a few times between drunk dancing. She said, “Aleeq, so who is you?”

“Excuse me,” he said, trying to make sure he heard her right.

“You heard me. If you going to be hanging with me and my cousin, we need to know who is you? Like, what you do? 'Cause we only mess with them ballers.” My eyes popped out of my head. I had to shut her up.

 

Aleeq looked over in Jabril's and my direction. He stopped dancing and said, “Damn,” and started laughing as Courtney tried to continue to dance with him. I didn't want to be noticeable, but I was about to snatch her up. I could only mutter, “You're so crazy, girl.” I pulled her in the bathroom. “Girl, you are making a scene. Get it together.”

“What did I do wrong?” she questioned me drunkenly.

“You can't be saying that we want some ballers. You sound thirsty as fuck.”

“Oh, so now you are the authority on getting dudes with money. I'm the one who showed you the way. Get off of me.” She snatched herself away from me. I yanked her back.

“Courtney, chill. You are embarrassing yourself and me.”

“Whatever—embarrassing you? Please listen. Take me home. I can't even say anything without you talking. I want to go the fuck home.”

“You don't have to leave, Courtney. I'm just sayin' to chill, relax, and act regular. Don't drink anything else. You've had enough.”

“Whatever. I'm leaving. I'm tired of your fake ass trying to front on me.” She stumbled out of the bathroom and out of the club.

I found Jabril and told him I was taking her home. I pulled up to drive her home as she stood on the corner waiting for a cab. Once in my car, she passed out for the forty-five minute drive back to Philly. Jabril said he would meet me at the apartment so I drove Courtney's ass home. I placed two hundred dollars in her pocket and left her on the doorstep. I knocked on the door hard and Aunt Rhonda came down.

The next morning I got a call from Courtney yelling at me. “Bitch, you getting brand-new. You acting like you better than me. You can keep your little money, too. Nobody don't want your money.”

“I'm not acting like anything or any way.”

“Yeah, whatever, all this fly girl shit. Bitch, please, you from North Philly and you a hood bitch just like me.”

“Whatever, look, Courtney, you can't be ghetto and sloppy drunk all the time. It's fans around, and somebody might see you.”

“Bitch, please, you ain't got no fans. You took your clothes off in a magazine; that ain't no big deal. I did that shit, too! If you was a real woman, you would have your daughter living with you and handle your business like I do every day. You fronted on me, your cousin. Bitch, I knew you your whole life. You think you on just because you fucking somebody with some paper. He ain't really feeling your smut ass. He got a girlfriend already, which mean you just his side hoe. You ain't shit, Shanice, or should I say, Shani Amore. Fronting ass bitch.”

“It's not like that, bitch, are you tripping? You need to go somewhere and get some help, because the world don't revolve around you. I'm tired of your shit, Courtney. I've been trying to help you and help you, and now I am done.” I disconnected the call. I was so tired of Courtney and her drama. Good-bye and good riddance.